The Gilweean Gateway

by R A Lindo

  “The Renns are said to have settled in Gilweean many centuries ago, when magic was feared and witch hunts were encouraged by the authorities. Legend has it that Eriah Renn sensed the existence of Gilweean in the water, leading a small collection of boats out of danger and to our current safe haven. From then on, the myth of the Renn being ‘water people’ has stuck.”

  “So, we’re not really ‘water people’?”

  “Yes, to some extent, but the term was originally ascribed to us from a particular moment in history. Each family has an affinity with one element; the Renns are drawn to water and can sense changes in mood via it.”

  Kaira walked alongside Cynthia Renn, wondering if all answers adults gave were as convoluted as the one she’d just been given. “Are there a lot of Renns in the Society?” she asked, hoping this would provide a more straightforward response.

  “Yes.”

  “Are they all important?”

  Cynthia Renn allowed a light laugh before looking at Kaira. “They say fate has a way of calling us … often far earlier than expected. Your dad and aunt are examples of that.”

  “Sorry, of what?”

  “Of the expectations placed on the shoulders of our family, and the price that is often paid. Beware the price, Kaira.”

  The nature of Cynthia Renn’s final words - cryptic and mildly foreboding - moved Kaira’s attention away from Guppy waving for her to hurry up. ‘Family’ was a word she hadn’t considered outside of her dad, aunt and, to some extent, Farraday until recently; however, it was clear as time passed that the S.P.M.A. was both magical and familial, forging strong bonds with others in order to protect its secrets from an above ground world who, given any notion of its existence, would attempt to contain its majesty.

  Now, family extended to Guppy, Jacob, Smyck and, it seemed, Cynthia and Elyn Renn: a combination of English and Caribbean ancestry, drawing critical lines on the map of a Society infinite in wonder.

  The other point pondered by Kaira was the question of the price typically paid by Renns within the Society - a weight which sometimes weighed on her father and clouded her aunt’s mood: a weight Kaira would have to beware as their return to The Cendryll loomed and Melackin and malevs waited in the wings.

  Sensing now was as good a time as any to address her expanding family tree, Kaira asked, “Are you my aunt…?”

  “Your great aunt,” Cynthia Renn replied, predicting the next question by adding, “and Elyn is your great-grand uncle. It’s easier explained with a family tree which we can produce later with the Canvia charm. For now, though, it’s time to experience another wonder of Gilweean.”

  With some questions answered and others left open, Kaira walked with her great aunt to the shoreline and joined Guppy, Jacob and the adults in the water. Her bare feet appreciated its coolness whilst her mood was always improved by the wondrous sight of the Williynx in the blue sky.

  Standing knee-deep in the water next to Guppy, Kaira observed the sand in Aunt Phee’s hand and the collection of feathers in her dad’s: Williynx feathers. Dressed rather casually in upturned blue trousers and white shirt, Casper Renn turned to Kaira and offered a brief explanation of what was about to be enacted.

  “You remember the Nivrium you studied with your aunt, Kaira?”

  She nodded, the first tinge of intrigue forming.

  “Well, the concept of a Nivrium was originally formed here, in the very water of Gilweean. Unlike the small, glass container we use in The Cendryll and other faculties, sand and feathers are used here.”

  “How does it work?” asked Jacob.

  Philomeena Renn handed Jacob, Kaira and Guppy a handful of sand before asking them to complete the circle the adults had formed. “Each of us holds a handful of sand and a single feather.”

  Farraday nudged Jacob and handed him three feathers, nodding to give Kaira and Guppy one. As Kaira studied her purple feather, Elyn Renn raised his right arm, nodding at Lore and Seyena Follygrin to begin proceedings. They obliged by throwing their handful of sand into the clear water, looking over at their young comrades to do the same.

  Jacob let the sand fall from his hand whilst Kaira and Guppy adopted a scattering motion, watching as the sand rested on the surface of the water before sinking.

  “Now, we place the feathers in front of us to make a circle,” Kaira’s dad explained, modelling with his own magenta feather.

  “What do the feathers do?” asked Guppy as she peered into the water, waiting for the sand to rise like the three lines in the Nivrium.

  “Williynx feathers bring life to lifeless things,” explained Kaira’s aunt, ever resplendent in a lightly patterned, floral dress. “Like the way Mivrilyn’s feather brought the pavement to life, making it retreat into the wall.”

  “Can’t bring someone back from the dead, though,” added Farraday as he placed his feather on the surface of the water, “which is a good thing, otherwise we’d all end up as vampires.”

  Catching Farraday’s smile, Kaira copied his motion and placed her purple feather in the water. She studied the collection of coloured feathers, waiting to see wonders form in the water … feeling the excited grip of Guppy’s arm when they did. The sight forming in front of Kaira’s eyes reminded her of the pictures that formed in her Follygrin - only these images were less distinct. Particles of sand rose and spun in the water, slowly forming into shapes… some taking a human form whilst others provided vague reference to places.

  Unlike the Follygrin, the floating forms viewed within the circle of feathers lacked detail in terms of facial features and architectural signifiers, therefore identities and locations could only be guessed at. It was enough, however, to establish probabilities. The sand formed and re-formed, offering a number of scenarios for the group to ponder - the most striking one to Kaira, undoubtedly, the collection of four figures moving together towards an unknown destination.

  “The Sinister Four,” she uttered, slightly concerned that she had said this within earshot of her dad. His response, however, was both surprising and validating.

  “Go on, Kaira. Everything the three of you have seen and heard: we’re relying on it now.”

  With a nod of encouragement from Jacob, she began the explanation, assuming her dad and aunt had been filled in on the information shared with Lore and Seyena Follygrin.

  “The four Implementers from The Pancithon: Sylan Ryll, Tunula Creswell, Aneesha Khan and Ulyn Pavel. They approached us when we were trying to find out what The Lady in White was up to.”

  “With the Now-Then,” added Guppy for purposes of clarification, and a way of testing the adults’ suggestion that they really weren’t going to get into trouble for their recent antics. Casper Renn didn’t flinch, his only readable expression a desire to know more.

  “We bumped into them again in The Pancithon when we were trying to learn more about The Sign of the Symean,” added Jacob, wanting to show unity in all of their decisions and actions.

  This did bring a mild look of surprise from the adults.

  “I overhead you the night before you told me about the existence of the Society,” explained Kaira to her dad. “I saw Smyck holding something … a drawing … and Aunt Phee saying the words ‘The Sign of the Symean’. When I arrived at The Cendryll, I met Guppy and Jacob and well … it sort of went from there.”

  “Did you find out anything in The Pancithon?” Kaira’s aunt enquired whilst keeping her eyes on the four figures of sand … moving as one … communicating and conspiring.

  “We found the story - The Curse of the Saralin Sands - in Menphelin’s Fables,” replied Guppy, “which helped us make a link between the Sign of the Symean and the legend of the Terrecet.”

  “What link?” asked Casper Renn, the intensity in his brown eyes making Guppy pause.

  “That the sign branded on the back of people’s neck is a mark of people who believe in the existence of the Terrecet,” offered Jacob as his sister hesitated. “That it’s not an army but a group of hunters who are se
arching for it and, maybe, willing to kill for it.”

  As Jacob’s words highlighted the extent of their knowledge, the four figures of sand dissolved below the surface of the water and a new, singular one appeared … a female form moving within a contained environment of shelves and boxes … a sight familiar to Kaira, Guppy and Jacob. The sight of Meyen Grayling in The Phiadal: the secret room hidden underneath The Floating Floor housing a dark fragment.

  “Any ideas?” queried Lore Follygrin, picking up on Kaira’s conflicted expression.

  Seyena Follygrin looked away from the image under the water whilst Elyn and Cynthia Renn looked up at the cliffs of Gilweean, as if they sensed danger coming.

  Kaira kept her gaze averted from Farraday’s, pretending to study the lone figure of sand she recognised. As much as she wanted to help her dad and aunt, she knew that identifying Guppy and Jacob’s mum could lead to severe consequences for her and, despite the fact that Meyen Grayling was a suspect, Kaira felt the need to balance her loyalties.

  To have a mother who paid little attention to you was bad enough, she mused; however, to not have a mother at all would be decidedly worse.

  “Kaira…?” she looked towards the familiar voice of her dad, judging the frown on his face to be the first signs of distrust.

  “We should go back, Casper,” suggested Elyn Renn, sensing no confirmation was forthcoming from the youngsters.

  “It’s our mum,” Jacob finally offered. “Kaira saw her vanish through The Floating Floor in The Cendryll, and we used a Follygrin to find out what she was looking for down there.”

  The silence symbolised an unspoken admiration for the daring of the young trio.

  “And what did you find out?” asked Seyena Blin.

  “That we think it could be the fragment that Cialene Koll stole … the one Blaze Flint was attacked for: the fragment people think is part of a Terrecet.”

  As the shock of their extensive knowledge faded, Casper Renn added, “I’m not going to ask how you’ve found out so much, but I will ask that you to tell us anything else you know.”

  His gaze remained on Kaira who felt now was no time for bluffing or silence, although not everything needed to be said, she decided, leaving out Jacob’s communication with the Quij to attack The Sinister Four, or her knowledge of the secret relationship between Aunt Phee and Weyen Lyell.

  “When we bumped into The Sinister Four in The Pancithon the second time, it was late and they didn’t know we were there,” Kaira began carefully. “They mentioned ‘the mess with Cialene’, that ‘rumours were starting’ and their frustration that ‘those three had to turn up’, meaning us.”

  “If they know you pose a threat to them, that puts the three of you in danger,” commented Farraday.

  “Their involvement is no surprise,” added Casper Renn as he studied the figure of sand for a few moments longer before taking his yellow feather out of the water, causing the image below to disintegrate. “Meyen’s, however…”

  “You were right, Casper,” commented Lore Follygrin as they stepped out of the water and back onto the sand. “It looks like you’re going to need our help.”

  Kaira’s dad looked up at the sky, the yellow feather resting in the palm of his hand. His action reminded Kaira of earlier in the day when she and Guppy lined the shoreline with feathers in their hands, waiting for their Williynx to descend. A similar vision of yellow descended now … magnificent in scale and voice: Mivrilyn … answering the call of the family she was connected to. As he patted the yellow Williynx, Casper Renn offered prophetic words to conclude the gathering:

  “Flight and water will act as future weapons. For now, the element of surprise will form the basis of our investigations. As always, the uniqueness of Gilweean has provided respite and insight.”

  Elyn and Cynthia Renn nodded in acknowledgement of their relative’s appreciation: the man on whose shoulders their beloved Society’s fate would increasingly depend.

  “A final round of Jysyn Juice?” suggested Lore Follygrin as his wife looked on wearily.

  “Indeed,” added Kaira’s dad with a smile and a pat on the shoulder for his comrade. “We’ll set off in the morning.”

  The return to the small, thatched-roof house, and the final round of Jysyn Juice, was the first opportunity Kaira had been afforded to capture a moment with her dad who walked alongside her now. With Guppy and Jacob in discussion up ahead, probably regarding the question of their mother’s potential involvement with sinister forces, Casper Renn uttered ‘Flori’ and opened his hand to show a small daffodil resting in his palm.

  It was her favourite trick from childhood - a trick which turned out to be actual magic. As they walked together, she wondered what toll the mild mayhem surrounding them was having on him: the knowledge that a unity of thieves were gathering in their midst.

  Handing his daughter the daffodil, her dad smiled before saying, “Being chased by Melackin, discovering The Phiadal and uncovering the link between the Sign of the Symean and the Terrecet: not bad for a twelve-year-old.”

  Stunned at this blasé attitude, Kaira chose to pick the petals off the flower, helping her suppress an immediate response. Was this a good time to reveal the things she hadn’t told him, like her solo journey to Dyil’s Ditch, spying on him with a Follygrin and knowing her grandfather had married a Koll…? Probably not.

  “It sort of just happened,” she offered in reply, hoping such a generalised response would limit further questions. Indeed, in some ways, it had all just happened, partly due to the way she had immediately hit it off with Guppy and Jacob, but also because of their collective desire to feel less like outsiders in a magical Society which would soon come to rely on their bravery and intuition.

  With the sun beginning to disappear behind the cliffs of Gilweean, Kaira, Guppy and Jacob sat on the sand, watching the gentle waves wash into the shore and over their bare feet. Sensing that more time spent in adult company may lead to further questions, they agreed that their final evening would be better spent basking in the splendour of the Williynx and the magical waterfall.

  The remaining children who were playing in the sand attempted to involve them in their games but, this time, they declined, offering tiredness as an excuse. Space was the actual reason for their desired solace - a way to consider all they had experienced and learnt. Kaira was pondering her relationship to Cynthia and Elyn Renn (great aunt and great grand uncle), the fact that Renns were water people and the way ‘fate had a way of calling them’, typically rendering a high price.

  She wondered what price her dad and aunt had already paid, and what the cost would be for her in defence of the S.P.M.A. The concept of sacrifice led her to think of her impending thirteenth birthday which had barely crossed her mind since being told of the wonders of this magical universe.

  It was in ten days’ time and no mention had been made of it by her dad or Aunt Phee who, understandably, had other things to contend with. Although they had never forgotten one, Kaira decided that she wouldn’t make a fuss if her birthday came and went without event this year.

  It may have been an important one - the entrance to adolescence - but it paled in comparison to magical waterfalls, flying on the back of a Williynx and sitting on the sand with the two people who had quickly become her closest friends. Magic and friendship were two unique gifts Kaira valued greatly - alternative presents she was more than happy with.

  Whilst she pondered family matters and impending adolescence, Guppy’s thoughts returned to the tunnel they had discovered on the cliff face during their first experience of flight earlier today. Happy that she hadn’t tried to dismount the Williynx, for once containing her enthusiasm for exploration, she still wondered what lay within it, accepting that it could be a natural phenomenon whilst sensing something more: something hidden.

  It seemed only yesterday that she had met Kaira, watching her talking to Jacob as she sat in Quandary Corner, studying the new girl she hoped would make a loyal friend: a wish which ha
d certainly come true.

  The Renns had become a second family to Guppy and Jacob, offering a sense of belonging their mother barely understood … a mother who seemed to be flirting with danger … danger that made Guppy think of Casper Renn’s reference to Gilweean’s weapons of ‘flight and water’. Flight was hardly a weapon and water … well, apart from using it as a Nivrium, Guppy was at a loss to see its destructive powers, wondering if Jacob’s intense gaze suggested he had greater insight.

  Jacob, in fact, was thinking about the concept of unity and how it had displayed itself in many forms, something his sister’s question allowed him to verbalise.

  “Do you think we’ll get into any trouble for what we’ve told the adults?” Guppy asked her brother, picking up the sand and watching it fall out of her hand.

  Jacob shook his head, somehow certain of his opinion. “I think Kaira’s dad meant what he said about ‘relying on us now: our information and what we know. That was one of the reasons we were brought along, although I think it’s more layered than that.”

  “To bring us all closer, you mean?” suggested Kaira.

  “Exactly,” Jacob agreed. “Everything we’ve done has been about unity. If you think about it, we could have accomplished what we’ve done here without the people we’ve met. As great as the Gilweean adults are, Farraday could have shown you how to ride a Williynx; Kaira’s dad and aunt knew how to use the sand and feathers to make the images appear underwater and a family tree would have been enough to explain Cynthia and Elyn Renn’s connection to Kaira.”

  “So, if we didn’t really need to come …” began Guppy, a little confused by Jacob’s conjectures.

  “What I mean is, maybe making the journey here wasn’t just about understanding the dark events in the Society.”

  “Although my dad and aunt did leave us with Lore and Seyena Follygrin,“ countered Kaira, “saying they were going to spend time with Elyn and Cynthia Renn. They would have discussed things then, probably.”